Chapter 61: A Visit

Chapter 61: A Visit

"Who is it?" With Ji Cailan's voice, the door quickly opened.

Seeing Xin You, Ji Cailan was both surprised and delighted. "Sister Kou, why are you here? Come in quickly."

Xin You stood at the door without moving, holding out the jade pendant. "I found this in the reception room of the Bookstore. I thought it might belong to either Sister Ji or Sister Zhou. That day, Sister Ji mentioned that your house is in Cat Alley, Auspicious Square, so I came over to ask. And here I am."

"Oh, this is my cousin's jade pendant." Ji Cailan recognized it immediately and felt embarrassed. "It's such a bother for Sister Kou to bring it over specially. You've really gone to a lot of trouble."

"Sister Ji, you're too kind. I was just idle anyway, so it was a good excuse to get some fresh air. To be honest, when neither you nor Sister Zhou were at the Bookstore, I was dozing off in the reading hall and even got scolded by the staff."

Hearing Xin You say this, Ji Cailan relaxed instantly, especially with the phrase "just idle anyway," which prompted her invitation. "If Sister Kou has nothing else to do, would you like to come with me to visit my cousin?"

"Sure." Xin You nodded with a smile, feeling relieved.

The Zhou family's residence was only two alleys away from the Ji family's. Xin You acted as if she had never been there before. "Sister Ji, your home and Sister Zhou's are so close."

Ji Cailan smiled. "My mother helped find the house for my cousin's family, thinking it would be convenient for us to visit each other."

"So you're cousins?"

"Yes, my mother is my uncle's sister. My uncle used to live elsewhere and only came to the capital at the beginning of the year."

"That's great, having family to look after each other and enjoying the bustling life of the capital."

Hearing Xin You say this, Ji Cailan nodded in agreement. "Indeed, my cousin always envied me for being able to buy all sorts of beautiful storybooks in the capital. But they can be quite expensive, and my mother often scolds me for spending too much money on them."

For ordinary families, spending several hundred coins on pure entertainment is significant. But there's no way around it; paper and ink have never been cheap, and labor adds to the cost of books.

"In fact, I envy my cousin. My uncle only has one daughter, and she gets more pocket money than I do."

Seeing the Zhou family's residence approaching, Xin You casually responded, "Your uncle must be very capable to settle his family in the capital."

Mentioning Zhou Ningyue's father, Ji Cailan showed admiration. "My uncle is indeed very capable. Not only did he get promoted, but he also joined the Northern Pacification Office of the Jinlin Guard."

"The Northern Pacification Office?" Xin You looked puzzled, thinking of He Qingxiao.

Zhou Ningyue's father was under He Qingxiao's jurisdiction.

Seeing Xin You's confusion, Ji Cailan explained with a hint of pride. "Even though they're all part of the Jinlin Guard, there are significant differences. The most prestigious among them is the Northern Pacification Office."

For ordinary people, the Jinlin Guard usually targets officials rather than commoners, making the famous Jinlin Guard seem distant. As a result, the general public views the Jinlin Guard as impressive and awe-inspiring, unlike the officials who also feel a layer of resentment towards them.

Xin You nodded occasionally, playing the perfect listener.

As they spoke, they arrived at Zhou Ningyue's house. Unlike the Ji family, the Zhou family had a gatekeeper, indicating their better financial situation.

Without needing to report, the gatekeeper let Ji Cailan and Xin You in.

Ji Cailan knew her uncle wasn't home, so she led Xin You up the steps and called out, "Aunt, Cousin, I'm here."

Soon, footsteps sounded, and Zhou Ningyue appeared. Seeing Xin You standing next to Ji Cailan, she looked surprised. "Cousin, you brought Sister Kou again?"

Ji Cailan smiled. "Sister Kou came specifically to see us. Cousin, didn't you notice anything missing?"

"Missing what?" Zhou Ningyue instinctively looked down and exclaimed, "My jade pendant!"

Xin You handed the jade pendant over. "Is this the one, Sister Zhou?"

"Yes, this is it!" Zhou Ningyue took it, relieved but puzzled. "When did I lose it? I didn't even notice."

"I found it in the reception room."

"Thank you, Sister Kou." Zhou Ningyue held Xin You's hand in gratitude.

"A visitor?" A gentle female voice came from inside.

Xin You looked over.

A graceful woman in her thirties emerged, similar to Zhou Ningyue with a round face and almond eyes. They looked about eighty percent alike, though the woman's expression betrayed fatigue.

"Mama, this is my new friend, Sister Kou," Zhou Ningyue introduced cheerfully.

Xin You bowed slightly. "Good afternoon, Aunt."

The woman smiled kindly. "What a lovely young lady. Ningyue, Cailan, entertain your friend well and stay for lunch."

At this age, Zhou Ningyue happily agreed.

"Let's go to the west wing." The woman suggested with a smile.

"We're disturbing you, Aunt."

Before Xin You could finish her polite words, Zhou Ningyue and Ji Cailan each took one of her hands and led her to the west wing.

The woman returned to her room and instructed a maid. "Bring the girls a fruit platter and tell Aunt Wang to add a couple more dishes for lunch."

The maid left to carry out the instructions, and the woman leaned back against the bed, her smile fading, revealing her weariness.

The west wing was decorated like a young girl's room. As the hostess, Zhou Ningyue talked more than she did at the Bookstore.

The three of them chatted and laughed while eating fruits until noon approached. Xin You politely tried to leave, but Zhou Ningyue stopped her.

"My mother must have already told the kitchen to prepare lunch. If you don't stay, it would be a waste."

Just then, a maid entered with the food.

"Young ladies, Madam asked me to tell you to enjoy yourselves. She won't join you to avoid any formality."

The lunch passed in a relaxed atmosphere without any elders present, and Xin You could clearly sense that Ji Cailan and Zhou Ningyue had grown closer to her.

Indeed, eating, drinking, and chatting are powerful tools for building relationships.

She proposed leaving again, and Zhou Ningyue and Ji Cailan accompanied her to see Zhou's mother.

"Why don't you stay and play a bit longer?" Zhou's mother asked gently.

"I have some matters at home, but I'll visit another day, Aunt."

Zhou's mother was very kind: "Ningyue has been cooped up at home all the time; it's rare for her to make a friend she gets along with so well. Miss Kou, you must come often."

"If Aunt doesn't mind the disturbance, I will come often," Xin You responded straightforwardly, her eyes flickering.

A scene suddenly appeared before her.

Under the full moon, the wind stirred the trees. Zhou's mother knelt beneath a tree, burning paper money. A man pulled her up, speaking angrily.

Zhou's mother pushed the man away with an agitated expression. During their struggle, she accidentally fell, placing one hand on the burning basin of paper money.

Before Xin You could see Zhou's mother's pained expression, the scene abruptly dissipated, replaced by Zhou's mother's beautiful face, still wearing a kind smile.

Xin You composed herself and bid farewell to Zhou's mother without changing her expression.

Zhou Ningyue escorted Xin You and Ji Cailan out. Seeing someone approaching, she was surprised: "Father, why are you back at this hour?"

Xin You turned her head to look at Zhou's father as he approached.